Samsung’s premium 55 inch ES8000 TV reviewed

Will the escalation of features in today’s tellyboxes never cease? Apparently not if we’re to judge by Samsung’s newest top of the line model, the UA55ES8000.

Features

The TV delivers a good-sized screen with a 139cm diagonal. Full HD, with LED edge-lighting, it also provides 3D. The panel is pleasingly thin at just a little over 30mm, but more startling is the bezel, such as it is. The total width of the band surrounding the screen is less than one centimetre, including at the bottom.

The only part which is wider is a small section at the top that pokes up and in which a camera and a couple of microphones are mounted. This provides support for a couple of startling new control options. One is voice control, and the other is motion control. We’ll get to those features shortly.

The TV comes with a standard Samsung infrared remote control, but also the new Smart Touch controller. This has a small number of keys surrounding a flat area. You move a finger upon this flat area, something like the touchpad on a notebook computer, and the selection of items on the screen changes.

The Foxtel on Internet TV app is exclusive to the ES8000 and other select Samsung Smart TVs from 1 July.

This assists with selecting from the extensive range of ‘Smart Hub’ network features. These include the ubiquitous DLNA content – music, video and photos – from compatible phones, cameras, PCs and audio systems on your home network plus a seemingly never-ending selection of Internet content.

One part of the Smart TV capabilities – Bigpond Movies – is still not quite ready as I write (it will become available quite soon I’m told) – but BigPond TV works.

Also available is ‘Explore 3D’ which gives you online 3D content to demonstrate your nifty TV; a Web browser; YouTube; access to the Quickflix and Wiggle Time TV subscription services, and lots more, including some interesting Samsung apps and the BigPond NRL and AFL games analysers.

There’s a ‘Fitness’ app – which works in conjunction with the camera, so you can check your yoga posture on the screen – stuff for the kids and a ‘Family Story’ app for sharing information with a limited group of people, including photos.

Unavailable during our review period, but live from today (1 July) is the Foxtel on Internet TV app. Similar to packages available via T-Box and the XBox 360, this provides streaming access to up to 30 channels from Australia’s largest TV provider. A number of packages area available, starting from $15 a month, and there are no lock-in contracts, so you can opt out at any time.

Currently a Samsung TV exclusive, the Foxtel app may appeal to buyers interested in sampling what Pay TV has to offer (minus the expensive commitment), or maybe for those who want to bring Pay TV to another room of the house without the usual installation costs.

Top of Samsung's 2012 Slim LED range of edge-lit TVs, the ES8000 sports an uber-skinny profile.

The ES8000 also provides the usual social media and Skype, but with an added cool feature. The TV’s built-in camera is, of course, used for Skype video calls, but you can set it up so that it recognises your face and logs onto your account automatically. Likewise for others in your family.

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